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September 30, 2007

I grew up in a household that wasn't very vegetable friendly. We only had two vegetables on our table corn or green beans (stewed in pork). I didn't really welcome squash into my life until my 20's and now I eat it at least 2-3 times a week. One of my favorite way to eat yellow squash is in cassarole form. For this recipe you can also swap out the Ritz crackers with some of your favorite croutons (crumbled).

Slice the yellow squash lengthwise into quarters, then
cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Place the yellow squash, zucchini and
carrots in a saucepan, barely cover with water and salt well. Bring to
a boil; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes,
until the vegetables are very soft.

Meanwhile, warm 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet
over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook slowly until very soft
and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional
minute. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Wipe out the skillet,
return it to medium-low heat, and add to it the remaining tablespoon of
butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook briefly until
the crumbs are golden. Scrape them onto a small plate and reserve them.

Drain the squash mixture, mashing the vegetables just a bit.
Spoon it into the mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cracker
crumbs, cheese and a good splash or two of the pepper sauce. Salt and
pepper generously to taste. Stir in the eggs and spoon the mixture into
the prepared baking dish. Scatter the toasted cracker crumbs over the
top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and
lightly firm in the center. Serve hot.

September 24, 2007

I spent last weekend in a cabin in Lake Arrowhead with some friends. There was a lot of cooking, eating, and watching of t.v. box sets and terrible movies. It has been really difficult for me to transition back to Los Angeles and into the role of a productive member of society again. I'd like to express my feelings in a slide show montage.

September 20, 2007

I grew up calling it country fried steak, but everyone seems to be calling it chicken fried steak these days so I thought I'd follow suit. Older recipes fry the steak in lard or Crisco, but I think the city of West Hollywood would kick me out if they caught me frying things in lard in my kitchen so I opted for canola oil. This is a pretty easy recipe, but if you don't feel like messing with all of the messy egg and flour you can try my grandma's minute steak recipe.

Chicken Fried Steak

2 eggs
2 cups milk, at room temperature
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons steak seasoning
2 cups frying oil, preferably Canola
8 (6-ounce) cube steaks (the thin grainy-looking cut)Whisk
eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside. Combine
the flour and steak seasoning in another bowl and set aside. Heat the
oil in a heavy 14-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat to 350
degrees. Use a deep frying thermometer to check temperature. The oil
should pop loudly when a drop of egg is dropped in. Dip each of the
first 4 cutlets in the egg wash mixture. Dredge them in the flour, then
dip them back into the egg wash, and very gently place them in the hot
oil. As you carry them 1 at a time from the egg wash to the skillet,
hold a plate under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a
regular explosion of noisy oil popping. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until
breading is set and golden brown. Gently turn them with a long handled
meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook another 3 minutes.
Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined
with paper towels. Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4
cutlets.

September 18, 2007

My friend Kelly's birthday is today. To celebrate her ongoing transformation into adulthood I made her a mix CD. This CD is a love letter of sorts to the cinematic housewife makeovers of the late 80's/early 90's. Put on a homemade puff-painted t-shirt and listen to it at your next Jazzercising class.

September 16, 2007

I love a cheesy rice or rice shaped pasta. This orzo recipe is a great way to make a lame baked chicken dinner more exciting. It goes well with almost anything and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes.

Preheat
a 8 inch pot with a tight fitting cover over moderate heat. Add oil,
onion and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth and peas to the pan and
bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil. Cover pot and
reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until
liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Remove lid and stir in cheese.
Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

September 13, 2007

Ice cream sundaes aren't just for honor roll kids and malt shops. In my house they are one of the go to desserts that can be made from ingredients found at our local Seven Eleven. Even though they can be simple, you shouldn't skimp on toppings. Chocolate syrup is so passe. If you are making a sundae you really have to have hot fudge sauce. If you don't have any, here's an easy recipe for hot fudge using ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.Throw on some broken pretzels or salty peanuts, whipped cream, and a cherry and you're all set.

September 11, 2007

I have always thought of Britney Spears as the McDonald's of the music industry. She's so well packaged and publicized that it doesn't really matter that she's not that good. Sometimes we all just need a six pack of Chicken McNuggets, a Sausage biscuit, or one of those genius "Baked Apple Pie" pockets. Sadly, the world has taken an ugly shift in the past few years. We're trying to trade in trans fats and carbs for day-old iceberg lettuce salads and wraps just as we're trading boy bands and slutty blonde girl pop stars for R&B acts and goth emo bands. They aren't really more enjoyable, but they make us feel a greater sense of self-importance. In the name of Britney and 59 cent cheeseburgers everywhere I present to you Chris Crocker.

September 09, 2007

This recipe was the 1974 Pillsbury Bake-Off Grand Prize Winner. It's incredibly moist and surprisingly subtle in it's cherry flavor. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cakes, but this recipe is nice twist on average chocolate cake and the glaze is like a thin home-style ganache. I made mine in a bundt pan and pushed back the baking time accordingly. I recommend serving it with a dollop of whip cream. Special thanks to Rachael and the Cake Mix Doctor for the recipe.

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to
350°F. Lightly mist a 13x9" baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set
the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract in
a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1
minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a
rubber sptatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes
more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look
thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan,
smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your
finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35
minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack while
you prepare the glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:1 cup sugar1/3 cup butter1/3 cup whole milk1 package (6 ounces, or 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chipsPlace the sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin but will firm up. Cool the cake for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving.

NOTE: Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze the cake, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.

September 07, 2007

I can't handle the fact that Ace of Cakes is on the Food Network. Even more upsetting is the fact that my boyfriend makes me watch it in bed every night before I fall asleep. It should be noted that I majored in art in college and am a great lover of all things cake. That's why it hurts me to watch Duff take a such a tremendous crap on worlds of art and baking. He puts fondant on a piece of Styrofoam and calls it a cake. That might even be okay if the end result wasn't disproportionate and poorly executed, but it always ends up as a crappy cartoon knock off. What kid wants a misshapen flamingo made of metal rods and modeling chocolate for his birthday?! Duff, if you are out there I want you to reach inside yourself and answer these questions before you finish your next cake: What flavor is the cake? Is the cake made with edible materials? What good is an ugly cake you can't eat?

September 06, 2007

This strawberry cake recipe form the Goodner's is a twist on strawberry shortcake that is perfect for a summer dessert or a decadent breakfast/brunch. Personally, I am a huge fan of the movement to bring cake into my breakfast and still wake up dreaming of this cake.

Mix 1/2 box of thawed strawberries with remaining cake ingredients until well combined. Grease and flour pans. You can use 3 cake pans to have mTore layers or use 1 sheet cake pan & slice down the center. Pour batter into pan(s). Bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees -

Beat the cream in stainless steel or glass bowl - never plastic and chill beaters & bowl in the freezer beforehand for about 2 minutes. Whip just the cream at the electric mixers highest speed until soft peaks form on the end of the beaters. This is when you can can add a little granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, a smidgen of vanilla, or a bit of booze. Whip again at high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks, but not a second longer or you will turn it to butter. (must keep dessert refrigerated)

To Assemble:Slice fresh strawberries sprinkle with a little sugar and let them sit for awhile to absorb some of the sugar. Place fresh strawberries (not juice) between layers. Spead mashed strawberries and any remaining juice over the layer of fresh strawberries. Cover each layer of strawberries with whipped topping. Finish with whole or sliced strawberries on top - I like whole berries dipped in chocolate placed around top and a few sliced berries.